Harakiri

This has got to be one of the greatest artistic illustrations of rebellion against an oppressive and cunning authority. A timeless ordeal that has marred humanity since our infancy is brought here (in HARA KIRI) to the most stunning, effective and thought-provoking representation I've ever witnessed on film. The premise and the narrative are simple enough for anyone to comprehend, yet wrought with limitless subtlety to keep the thinker thinking for a very long time. This film will infinitely test the Draconian thinker as it's difficult for the rationalist to bend under passionate distress. But when humanity presents itself naked and powerless, even Samurai code is put to the test. This film is a terrific representation of both sides of a uniquely human equation. On one hand, we are bound to the authorities which we invent. On the other, we are bound to the humanity with which we are born. As honorable as it is to remain tenacious for a belief, it's just as honorable to fight relentlessly for survival. It's just plain wrong, however, for authority to manipulate the very honor for which it is regarded in order to spite or punish those who struggle to live. I can understand and respect punishment, but I will never respect or agree with punishment that is handed out fraudulently. An early character is this film commits hara kiri, believing that given his present circumstances, hara kiri is the most honorable and respectable way die. Unbeknownst to him, however, his superiors are using hara kiri as a means of punishment, made all the more brutal and inhumane through the use of a bamboo blade. Had the character committing hara kiri disclosed his situation to his superiors, or had his superiors asked the character to disclose his situation, the hara kiri and ensuing revenge plot might have been avoided entirely. But unfortunately, our unwavering fortitude under invented systems of belief and authority can and will inevitably lead to tragic ends. As far as the picture is concerned, Criterion nails it. Unless you're a raging cinephile, ignore the cropping criticisms. The experts at Criterion wouldn't crop unless it were absolutely necessary to improve the overall aesthetic virtues of the transfer. Regardless, the cropping is insignificant; the cinematography remains among the best ever. I was floored by some of the close-ups; they're really shocking. It's obvious after seeing this film where modern Japanese filmmakers find their inspiration. This is about as beautiful as black and white gets, the most beautiful b&w film I've seen being THE WHITE RIBBON on BD. This transfer comes pretty darn close to that, and this film is how old again? Criterion are good at respectfully handling grain. So, no issues there. There are spots and scratches every now and then, but they're extremely few and insignificant. If it weren't for their occasional appearance, it would be difficult to discern the age of this movie. The audio is mono. What more can be said about it? Yes, it's as true to the source as you're going to get, and it's extremely clean, but it's still mono. I hope you enjoy this film as much as I did :)

What a great movie. I had no idea it would be this good. I bought it because I loved the director (Masaki Kobayashi) and actor (Tatsuya Nakadail). Both this director and actor were also in The Human Condition film, which is even better. This movie isn’t a typical “sword fighting” movie. It does have this but the story is more about the outdated practices and suicidal methods of the samurai. Very dramatic and well acted and directed. The Criterion Collection, as usual, was outstanding. Many extras included. Interview with director, actor and others. A nice, thick “book” included. I watched all extras and read the insert book. I wasn’t disappointed.

回想シーンは作品の流れを止めてしまうことがままあり、独白は説明的に過ぎて退屈するものですが、この映画は回想と独白が無駄どころか、全体の物語を支配する、数ある橋本忍の脚本の中でも斬新な出色の出来です。 動きの少ない舞台にあって、影の移動のみで時間の経過を表す小林正樹の細心の演出、仲代達矢、三國連太郎の若くして円熟を見せる演技、武満徹のオリジナリティあふれる音楽。映画が総合芸術であることを証明した邦画界屈指の傑作。 公開当時から異色作扱いされていたためか、一般の知名度が低いのが残念な名作です。

I just recieved my blue ray copy of Harakiri from Amazon, I bought 2 other films in blue ray as well, all films are over 2hrs long so it was a long but great day for me untill i saw this movie,the others being Sword Of Doom and Kagemusha, Harakiri suffered a huge audi flaw for me, the natural sounds and music is very crisp and loud,,BUT everytime someone spoke i thought my speakers cracked,then noticed its the disk, i cleaned it,brought it to a friends place to play on his system and its the same there, i own this on VHS and the difference is amazing but everytime someone talks it just gets on my nerve,imagine max headrom in japanese. its that bad. Andrew

One of the most unique of samurai tales, this is a movie that is a worthy addition to your classic film collection even if you are not a huge fan of the genre. Despite all of the blood on the cover, the fight scenes are at a minimum and used only for specific purpose. The film focuses on the fact that for many the "samurai code" is overly romantacized, hijacked, and used for evil purpose. Just as the greatest threat to the church is from false prohets, "false samurai" likewise do a huge disservice to a historically evolving Japan in search of a new identity and direction. Without getting into spoilers, the movie uses one such aspect of the samurai code, ritualistic suicide, and turns it inside out. Often times, it's the ones watching the death that should be dieing, and not the other way around. The movie is perfectly executed with the exception of one portion of the film that moves somewhat slow. This is as much a plot device as anything else however, an example of the care that director Kobayashi puts behind the characters. When a noble ronin is forced to act in a manner that makes him look dishonorable, you almost sense the director knew how pure his motivations were, and so he intentionally draws out the deplorable conditions that lead the ronin to that point. In this way the viewer understands the motivation without a shadow of doubt as to the character's true nature. There will be no mistaken dishonor here. Even if giving this slow section of the movie 4 out of 5 stars, the other portions of the movie more than make up for it with brilliant set-ups, a stunning conclusion, excellent filming, and a unique, non-formulaic, and well acted script. Everyone throws around such accolades as "one of the best films" all the time, but in this case it's really true. Powerful and highly recommended.